Flush valve actuating device



Oct. '8, 1940. RQMAINE 2,217,320

FLUSH VALVE ACTUATING DEVICE Filed June 12, 1939 INVENTOR /'//9L L/[ 6. F V/W/Y rw qn ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1940 UNITE STT Claims.

This invention pertains to improvements in mechanism for guiding flush-valves of tanks into their seats.

A general object is to furnish a guide for a 5 flush-valve that will center the same squarely and in line with the center. of the valve-seat and positively seat it in that position under all conditions to which the valve may be subjected in use.

Another general object is to provide a valve actuating mechanism that shall be certain in its operation regardless of variations in force and swirling actions of the water leaving the tank, tending to make the iioat valve wabble and seat itself unevenly. By providing means to seat the valve accurately under all circumstances of use and to keep it tightly seated until the tank is again discharged, loss of water is avoided.

More specific objects are, to provide improved guide means for the stem of the float valve; to provide an improved valve stem structure cooperating with such guide means to produce greater or less frictional action between the guide and the stem, the object being to adjustably modify the up-and-down fiotational action of the valve and thereby compensate for too much or too little buoyancy according to the circumstances of use, and to thereby avoid any necessity for altering the buoyancy of the float itself to suit any given installation.

Another object is to provide the valve stem with improved means for raising the valve where by the upper end of the valve stem shall be kept from binding due to the action of the customary link rod that connects the valve stem to the operating lever of the flushing handle.

The link rod and the upper end of the valve stem have usually been connected by means of a sliding eye or loop device arranged so that when the flushing handle was operated the link rod would produce a sidewise thrust at the upper end of the stem and interfere with the desirable free up and down action of the stem, thereby tending to prevent free and dependable valve action.

Another object is to provide a simplified inexpensive float valve actuating device that can be applied to any existing flush tank equipment.

In the drawing, which is in perspective, my invention is shown in a preferred form applied to a conventional arrangement of a flush tank valve, an overflow pipe and an operating lever and handle.

A flush tank of usual type has at its bottom l a discharge pipe 2 connected to a valve seat 3. An overflow pipe 4 leads into the lower portion of the seat 3. On a wall of the tank is a bearing 5 for a stub shaft 6 which carries an outer handle i and an inner operating lever 6 from the end of which is suspended the usual link rod 9 that actuates the stem ll of the float Valve it. -5

Although shown assembled with conventional i'lush tank mechanism, my improved device may be used in conjunction with any other suitable tank equipment. Numeral l i designates a tubular guide which is fixed to and projects upwardly 10 from an arm E2. The arm is pivoted at its other end to a collar it? so it can be swung in a horizontal plane for purposes of installation and alinement.

A pivot bolt i l passes through two lugs it on '15 collar it, between which the arm it can be clamped. Collar it can be fastened at appropriate height on pipe l, or to any similar support, by means of a clamping screw it. The collar l3 and the pivoted arm i2 and tubular guide it to- .20 gether constitute a valve stem adjusting and locating device that permits the valve stem ll to be placed coaxially with the valve seat. Such lateral adjustment can be made by loosening the screw it and the pivot bolt it, and then rotating the collar i3 and swinging the arm it until. the valve is brought into alinem'ent with the axial center line of valve seat 3. Sometimes it is desirable to place the valve stem in a slightly tilted position to compensate for any inaccuracy in go alinement of the other parts of the flush tank caused by Warping or otherwise. For that purpose arm i2 is preferably made of flexible material such as brass. copper, or a bronze alloy to it can be bent, as indicated by the broken line.

When the. outer handle 'l is actuated, the operating lever B lifts link rod 9 which in turn lifts valve stem ii and unseats the float valve iii; and after handle i has been released the ball valve it will return to its seat .3 when the water in the tank has subsided to a predetermined level.

An outwardly bent laterally extending portion E8 of the valve stem i! is spaced slightly above the top of the tubular guide it when the valve is on its seat. This bent portion preferably esztends outwardly from the vertical portion of the stem and then downwardly outside the tubular guide substantially parallel with the stern ll. At its lower end the downwardly extending member 19 is arranged to travel along and may be guided by the outside of the tubular guide it as the float it moves up and down. The bottom end of the member l9 may be formed to present a member 20 that surrounds the tubular guide. Member 2!] may be in the form of a loop or be sprung or bent laterally to cause the bearing portion 20, which engages the tubular guide H, to exert more or less friction and thus retard or otherwise modify the buoyant action of the float.

Member 20 is raised and lowered by means of a corresponding loop or projection 2| on the lower end of the link rod 9. I have shown part 2| as a loop that loosely encircles the guide II below the member 20 on the valve stem.

The upper end of the link rod 9 has more or less lateral or sidewise motion, due to the action of theoperating lever 8, although its lower end is guided in a straight vertical path by the tube I I. Hence its loop 2! can exert only a straight lifting action against the under side of member 20 on the valve stem I7, and the upper part of the stem I! can never be subjected to any sidewise pull or displacement. The result is that under all conditions of use the float is capable of free vertical up-and-down movement without any likelihood of binding and there can be no binding or catching between the members 20 and 2|.

To changethe effective buoyant action of the float I0 as alluded to above it is only necessary to increase or decrease the friction of the loop 20 against the tubular guide I I by adjusting the spring action of member .I 9 in the manner already described.

- To install the device in an existing flush tank, the old valve lifting equipment is removed from the overflow pipe 4. The collar I3 and supporting arm I2 are assembled by inserting the arm between the lugs I5 on the collar and tightening the pivot bolt slightly. The link rod 9 is then slid over the tubular guide II. The valve stem I! is slid through the tubular guide II and the float Valve I0 is attached to the bottom of the stem.

The assembled collar I3 with its arm I2 and tubular guide II in place is fitted to the overflow pipe 4 and the tubular guide II is adjusted sidewise until the float valve I0 seats perfectly. The pivot bolt I 4 is then tightened. The collar I 3 is raised or lowered on the overflow pipe so that the top I8 of the valve stem I! is approximately inch above the top of the tubular guide H; and the'set screw I6 is then tightened.

If the overflow pipe 4 is not standing straight the float valve In might not seat properly. This condition may be corrected by slightly bending the supporting arm I2 with pliers so that the tubular guide I I will be in proper alinement with the axis of the valve seat.

With the link rod 9 in vertical position and the outer handle I lowered, the upper end of link rod 9 is bent and inserted in a suitablehole in the operating lever 8 or flush arm, as shown.

Neither jarring, nor the surging of water can now afiect the valve in its travel to the seat. The valve stem I 1 with its lifting members 20 and I9 merely floats vertically up and down. It can not deflect the valve out of its proper line of travel nor cause the stem I! to bind in the guide II, no matter what angular pull may be exerted by the operating lever B.

To remove the stem I I for inspection or repair it is only necessary to unscrew it from the float valve and pull it out.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A guiding and flotational control device for a float valve having means for raising and releasing the same, said control device comprising, in combination, an upright tubular guide mounted for tilting and sidewise alining adjustments, said guide slidingly receiving the stem of said valve; said stem projecting above said guide and having a section extending laterally and downwardly outside the guide and presenting in the path of movement of said actuating means and near the bottom'of the guide an abutment adapted to be slidingly engaged with predetermined lateral pressure against the outer wall of the guide, and means for varying such pressure.

2. A guiding and flotational control device for a float valve having actuating means, said device comprising, in combination, an upright tubular guide slidingly receiving the stem of said valve, said stem having a section extending downwardly outside the guide and presenting an abutment, in the path of movement of said actuating means, adapted to frictionally engage the outer wall of the guide.

3. A flush tank having a float valve and stem and lifting means therefor and having an upright tubular guide member coaxial with the valve; the said stem extending upwardly through the guide member and downwardly outside the same, the lower part of such downwardly extending portion being adjacent the lower part of the said guide member and slidable thereon and adapted to be engaged and actuated by said Iiiing means.

4. In a flush tank having a float valve and stem, guiding and actuating means for said stem comprising an upright tubular member, the valve stem extending through and projecting above said member, the stem having a flexible section extending outside the member and downwardly, the lower end of such flexible section engaging the lower portion of the guide and being slidable thereon in the path of movement of a lifting member on said float valve actuating means.

5. A stem for a flush tank float valve, comprising an upright member adapted to be secured at its lower end to the valve, said member having at its upper end a laterally extended portion, a section extending downwardly from the end of said lateral portion, being spaced from said upright member and substantially parallel therewith, the lower end of such downward section presenting, intermediate the ends of said upright member, an abutment which upon being lifted vertically raises the upright member and the float.

HALLIE C. ROMAINE. 

